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Colin Kaepernick is making good on his pledge to donate $1 million

UPDATE—Colin Kaepernick made a promise and this quarterback has certainly put his money where his mouth is. It was just last September during a postgame news conference, when the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback — who has still not been signed with any team this season — pledged to donate $1 million to different organizations of his choice.

“I will donate $1 million plus all the proceeds of my jersey sales from the 2016 season to organizations working in oppressed communities — $100,000 a month for 10 months,” he said.

It appears he’s doing just that. Kaepernick unveiled his website, which cites nine months of his 10-month promise. The site houses an itemized list that informs visitors where the money was distributed. He said he started the website “to make sure not only that I’m transparent in what I’m doing, but that these organizations are transparent with where the money is going as well.”

From October 2016 until June, $900,000 of the $1 million is accounted for. According to his website, Kaepernick’s mission is to fight oppression of all kinds globally through education and social activism. He also held a Know Your Rights camp for young people in Oakland, California, during the 49ers’ bye week in 2016 to raise awareness on higher education, self-empowerment and instruction to properly interact with law enforcement in various scenarios.

In June, $25,000 was donated to DREAM (Formerly RBI Harlem) in New York. The donation will specifically pay for $10,000 for baseball and softball supplies including balls, bats, gloves, uniforms to help 100 kids, $10,000 for college trips for 54 students (and chaperones) for an entire grade of middle-school students, $6,000 for food and overnight lodging, $4,000 for bus expense and $5,000 for laptops for the ninth-grade class at DREAM charter school. Another $25,000 went to Coalition for the Homeless in New York to pay for food programs and crisis intervention. Kaepernick donated $25,000 to War on Children in New York and the last $25,000 helps United We Dream for immigrant youths.

April’s donations included $25,000 to Assata’s Daughters, a Chicago group that focuses on black female empowerment. After making substantial donations to Chicago-based charities in November 2016, Kaepernick vowed to donate more funds to the area.

“I’ll continue to look at other communities in Chicago, as well, as far as what are ways I can help and what are ways I can try to help empower those communities,” he said.

In March, Kaepernick donated $50,000 to Life After Hate in Chicago, $25,000 each to Leaders Of A Beautiful Struggle in Baltimore and SilenceIsViolence in New Orleans. These funds went to directly support to families affected by violent crime (funeral expenses, rent, utilities, groceries, counseling, and child care).

February saw some cold months around the globe, which prompted Kaepernick to think about food for those in need. He donated $50,000 to Meals on Wheels and $50,000 to Somalia Famine Relief’s GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick made a promise, and so far he’s making good on it. He caught the eyes of the nation this season when he made the decision to kneel, as opposed to standing, during the national anthem before games in protest of racial inequality. During a postgame news conference in September, Kaepernick pledged to donate $1 million to different organizations of his choice.

“I will donate $1 million plus all the proceeds of my jersey sales from the 2016 season to organizations working in oppressed communities — $100,000 a month for 10 months,” he said.

It appears he’s doing just that. At the end of November, he announced that he made a donation of $25,000 to the Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100) organization, which is “dedicated to creating justice and freedom for all black people,” according to its website.

Kaepernick recently unveiled his website, which details his donations. The site houses an itemized list that informs visitors as to where the money was distributed. He said he started the website “to make sure not only that I’m transparent in what I’m doing, but that these organizations are transparent with where the money is going, as well.”

Kaepernick told reporters on Wednesday that there may be more donations for Chicago groups in the future.

“I’ll continue to look at other communities in Chicago, as well, as far as what are ways I can help and what are ways I can try to help empower those communities,” he said.

According to his website, Kaepernick’s mission is to fight oppression of all kinds globally, through education and social activism. He held a “Know Your Rights” camp for young people in Oakland, California, during his team’s bye week to raise awareness on higher education, self-empowerment and instruction to properly interact with law enforcement in various scenarios.

Liner Notes

This piece has been updated to reflect Colin Kaepernick’s donations since this article was first published in December of 2016.

Kelley Evans is a general editor at The Undefeated. She is a food passionista, helicopter mom and an unapologetic southerner who spends every night with the cast of The Young and the Restless by way of her couch.